His Butler, Searching
by Sketchypheebs
Summary: Ciel has been in hell for a while now... he begins to tire of the constant boredom of living eternally with his butler. What will happen when he goes missing? What will become of Ciel when he comes face-to-face with yet another angel? PLEASE review, favorite, and follow! My first story! I do not own kuroshitsuji.
1. Chapter 1

Sebastian Michaelis was at his wit's end. "Where could the young master have gone?" He wondered. "Lovely. He's only been here three earth years, he's already managed to get himself lost." He seemed to forget that to a young demon, three years still seemed like a pretty long time. Sebastian paced through the halls of the manor, still wondering where his master, Ciel Phantomhive, could have possibly gone. The residence was exactly identical to the Phantomhive Estate back on earth, from every peel of old paint and chip of china. Except this wasn't earth. This was Hell.

"Sebastian, what are you doing? For the last time, why aren't you watching the master? A rather shrill voice asked.

"Clara, for your information, the young master is missing at the moment. I would be perfectly happy to do my duties as a butler, if only my master were present." Sebastian had been trying to fight her off all morning, and decided he might as well come clean as making up excuses as to why he wasn't tending to his master never seemed to satisfy this woman's ears. The young master hired Clara when he decided that Sebastian was getting a bit too cheeky for his taste. Supposedly, Clara was a lost soul, no longer a human, yet not a demon. She was never judged, and she spent years wandering the graveyard she had been buried in as an apparition. Still, she tired of this and decided to hold onto life no longer. She knew that she had no place in heaven. As a young woman she sold her body as a prostitute. She robbed people of their money and possessions in her obsessive need to live comfortably. That wish never came true, however. Her life was cut short by a bout of influenza, and she decided to make her way into the depths of Hell instead of subjecting herself to a further feeling of rejection by asking to be judged. She had known what her judgment would be anyway. She was not particularly attractive. Her long, straight dark brown hair hung limply over her shoulders. She had an oval shaped face with grey eyes and thin, creased lips. She had a frail bony figure; one that Ciel had mentioned reminded him of a skeleton. Still, her exact age was impossible to tell. She had no idea, as she had lost track early on. She simply reeked of impurity that she was never purged of during her life. Still, she had been willing to work as a servant to Ciel, and as willing employees are generally hard to come by in Hell, the young master decided she would be an adequate fit for the job of a maid. Clara was to assist Sebastian in daily chores, and if Sebastian decided to question the young master for whatever reason, Clara would step in for him until Sebastian remembered his place. Sebastian muttered under his breath. Who wouldn't become at least a bit irreverent in his situation? He had been so looking forward to the delectable feast of Ciel's soul, and now he was to simply accept that he would never have the pleasure of enjoying it? No, that couldn't be expected, not even from a demon. The disappointment of nearly three years service gone to waste was ravaging every plane of his mind.

Clara's lip twitched for a moment as if she hadn't quite heard what Sebastian had said. Though her response ruled that out completely. "_Missing?_" she shrieked. "What do you mean, missing? It's your responsibility to make sure the young master is safe and now you're telling me he's _missing_?"

Sebastian sighed. He was beginning to think she performed these interrogations just to annoy him, more than out of actual concern for Ciel's safety or happiness.

"Yes Clara, I came into the master's bedroom this morning to awake him, but he wasn't there, and he had only left a note." He handed it to her.

Clara read the note aloud. "I've grown tired of stagnating with you people here. I have decided to leave once and for all." She looked up from the letter, shocked. "Well, what do you suppose that means?" she asked.

Sebastian thought to himself. The young master had been acting differently ever since they had arrived at the gates of Hell two days prior. The usual need to be aggressive had seemed to simply seep out of him. In the two days he had spent as a demon, he stayed locked up in his room, refusing to see anyone. Now he was simply gone. Sebastian seethed in his fury directed at himself. He shouldn't have been able to slip away that easily! Sebastian should have heard him moving through the manor and intercepted him before he was able to leave! Well, no matter. Nothing could be done to change the course of events now. The important thing was to get Ciel back, and as soon as possible. "Clara?" Sebastian asked. "Had the young master said anything out of the ordinary while speaking to you any time recently?"

Clara sighed. She believed it was quite a stupid question, as she had only known Ciel Phantomhive for two days before he left. Still, something she now found quite startling popped into her head. "Sebastian, I think he had. While I was choosing his clothing yesterday morning, he made some odd comment about how he wouldn't have to worry about being here too long. I thought he was simply deluding himself! After all, he had just become a demon against his will. I made sure to tell him that he would indeed be spending all eternity here. He just looked away."

Sebastian just stared at her. "And why didn't you tell me about this sooner?" He asked. He had more than a hint of danger in his voice.

Clara's eyes widened. "I didn't think it was important, Sebastian! I mean how did you feel when you first became a demon? I figured he would learn to love it soon enough!" Clara trembled. Sebastian looked as though he were ready to rip he head off. Still he just turned away.

"The crevice."

Clara's eyes nearly popped out of her head. "No! He wouldn't! No demon has done that in centuries!"

But Sebastian was already gone. He needed to get to that crevice, and fast.


	2. Chapter 2

Ciel stood at the edge of the crevice. He could feel the scorching heat from the flames below as he stared down into the depths. He liked it here. It was quiet, very different from the rest of hell, where the air was always buzzing with the screams of those being punished and the cries of the souls that have been forgotten. Here, the only sound that could be heard was the faint crackle of flames burning their ever-lasting fuel. Even though this place was comforting to Ciel, he still felt a slight shiver run up his spine when he thought of what the fire was burning. It was burning the bodies of demons that had given up hope. The very essence of the deceased demons was what kept the giant inferno ablaze.

"I wonder what it will feel like to die." Ciel thought to himself. He didn't really care whether it would hurt or not, as he had been though plenty of pain already and was quite used to it. What he found unsettling about being this close to his end was the fact that he wasn't even sure if it would truly be the end. Supposedly this was the only place demons could possibly die, but what if death weren't possible, even here?

He began to think of all the people he had left behind. He wondered what the servants, Mey-Rin, Finny, and Bard had done after Ciel left. He assumed that they had all found new positions working for another noble or perhaps as employees at a town business, but he had no real way of knowing. He thought of the time when he and Sebastian were rowing in the gondola and the warm regard people had held for Ciel was visible in the air. But from whom did it come from? "Whatever." Ciel thought. "It doesn't matter what they think of me now."

Suddenly, another thought hit him. "Oh god, what's become of Lizzie? What has she done to cope with my death?" Ciel tried to shake off the thought, but it was in vain. He felt the warm, red tears well up in his pink eyes. "How much am I going to cry? God Ciel, get it together!" But the tears still came. Ciel had been getting progressively worse at hiding his constant despair, and it had gotten to the point where he could no longer go two earth days without crying! It could be for a reason as simple as losing a pen or as petty as knocking over a vase. Sebastian could find the pen or repair the vase with no trouble at all. Still, the feeling of making yet another mistake however small it may be, was more than Ciel could bear. He brought his hand up to his face to wipe his eyes, and was yet again startled when he brought it away. He never seemed to get used to the fact that demons cry red tears. He thought of Lizzie with her beautiful long blonde hair and huge green eyes. He had had one last chance to see her before he was never allowed to look up to earth again. She was crying next to his empty coffin. After his parent's demise, most deaths didn't affect him, not even his own. Ciel wasn't particularly sensitive to the feelings of others, but he still felt a pang of guilt when he thought of Elizabeth. He wiped his red-stained hand on his plain black trousers and sniffed back his remaining tears. "Time to go." He said. He shimmied over to the edge where he hung his legs off the cliff, momentarily basking in the pain caused by the intense heat. He knew he deserved it. "Goodbye, everyone. I love you and I'm so sorry." At that moment, he heard a shout.

"Master!" He heard footsteps approaching.

"You're not saving me this time, Sebastian. Goodbye." Ciel took a deep breath and slid off the edge, falling down toward the flames below.

Sebastian reached the edge of the crevice and looked down after his doomed master in what might have been horror. "Master, why? Why the _hell_ would you be so foolish?" Sebastian would have jumped in after his master in a heartbeat, but there was no way to save him. They would have both been burned away in that unholy place. He watched Ciel fall until he was no longer visible in the flames.


	3. Chapter 3

Ciel fell for what seemed like forever. He felt the oppressive heat closing in on him, becoming more intense each second. Every moment Ciel fell, he felt as though he would surely burn away the next, and yet he just kept falling. He squeezed his eyes shut. Ciel felt a flame singe his hair, and by the time he had opened his eyes, he realized that his clothing had burned away! No point in being embarrassed, though. No one would ever see him again, anyway. When he was sure he would be incinerated any moment, he felt a powerful jolt as he landed. "What the devil?" He muttered, with his eyes still shut. There's no landing in the crevice!"

"Don't you mean angel?" A voice as sweet and smooth as honey quietly asked. It was somehow hypnotic and Ciel found himself quite annoyed that a simple _voice _could manage to compromise his barriers. He was a demon after all, and however young a demon may be, one should never respond to any type of temptation, let alone the sound of a mere voice.

Ciel quickly realized he was being cradled in a pair of arms. He could feel a breeze created by powerful wings and nearly sighed in relief. Despite being very used to hell, which was typically quite hot, the feeling of being cool once more was somehow soothing to the young boy. He slowly opened his pink eyes and nearly yelped at what he saw. Holding him in her arms was indeed what appeared to be an angel. She didn't look much like the other angel, Angela, he had encountered long ago while still on earth. This Angel's long hair was a platinum blonde instead of silver. Instead of the dark purple that had haunted Ciel since his first meeting with Angela, this angel's eyes were such a light grey that they almost appeared white. Her skin was smooth and porcelain colored with a hint of pink coloring her cheeks. She was just as beautiful as the female form of Angela, but still seemed different somehow. She seemed benevolent. "Benevolent? Yeah, right. If she's here in hell, I'd have to be pretty damn sure she's not at all harmless."

As though the Angel could read the young demon's mind, she chuckled. The sound was like that of a ringing bell, light and airy. "It's a bit early to be making assumptions so soon, isn't it?" She asked with a small smile.

Ciel suddenly realized that he had been staring at the Angel. He promptly snapped out of it and his face glowed with rage. His eyes darkened until they reached a hue that was nearly black, but not quite. "What the hell are you doing?" He screamed. "Let me go!" He began to change into his true demonic form, but she gave him a hard glare. His metamorphosis was stopped in its tracks and as hard as he tried, Ciel couldn't begin it again.

"Now, now Ciel, we can't have that kind of behavior, especially in the face of your future savior." The angel said. She began to rise up out of the crevice, still holding Ciel in her arms.

Ciel scowled. "Savior?" he asked. It seemed like more of a statement than a question. Then he realized that the two were slowly ascending out of the fiery ditch. He hissed in anger as she carried him still, never wavering. "Thanks, but I'm in no need of a savior. If you hadn't already noticed, I was just trying to end my miserable existence, so if you would be so kind, I would appreciate it if you would let go of me so that I may finish my fall in peace." He was only being mockingly polite. In fact, the rage in his voice would have frightened any lowly human to pieces. The angel still laughed in his face, only angering the little demon more.

"Oh now Ciel, we can't have that. That would be a waste of a perfectly good soul." She said.

Ciel gave a loud snort. "Perfectly good soul? Are you really quite serious?" He tilted his head a bit, and a short burst of alarm hit him. "Oh god, you're not another fallen one are you?" Only a fallen angel should be able to make its way into hell. And more importantly, only a fallen angel would have referred to Ciel Phantomhive as a _good soul_.

The Angel just gave another one of her infuriating smiles. "That's a very logical bit of reasoning, Ciel, due to these strange circumstances, but I can assure you that I am no fallen angel." she said as they finally rose out of the crevice.

_She has been reading my thoughts_. Ciel looked around trying to catch a glimpse of his butler, but to no avail. _He must have gone back to the mansion. That twit. _He looked back to the woman holding him and sighed. "What do you intend to do with me now?"

"Oh, I actually have a little surprise for you," She hovered over to flat ground where she set down the demon boy. He made a weak attempt to make a run for the crevice again, but she stopped him short. "Ciel, whatever am I going to do with you?" Ciel just scowled at her, baring sharp teeth. She simply pretended not to notice. Her voice took on a more serious tone. Ciel, I'm going to be straight with you. I have been watching you since you were but a toddler on earth. Something about you always intrigued me. God almighty had told me to leave you be, but I could feel that you were a highly unusual soul, so I kept an eye on you. Even angels like me cannot see the future, but I had a feeling that you would do some very interesting things with your life. Even though you have sinned more than I would care to recount, I see things in you that you may not even see."

Ciel just sighed. "And I suppose you're going to tell me now, aren't you? Hurry up, if I'm not going to be allowed to die today, I at least wish to give Sebastian the punishment he deserves for being a complete moron."

The Angel just ignored him. "I saw the pain in your heart as your Aunt was murdered. Even though death and killing had become a normal part of your life, you still felt love for her. I could see that you loved your fiancée, Elizabeth. Even though she was undoubtedly incredibly annoying, you still felt a need to protect her. You may not have seen her as a romantic object, but you definitely had a bond with her. It was almost sibling-like."

Ciel just looked at the ground. _What I wouldn't give to be dead right now_. He thought, not caring if the angel was listening or not. Apparently she wasn't, as she kept on talking.

"Ciel, what I am saying is that you are not a bad person. You are a good person who has gone through too much tragedy and heartbreak to continue thinking correctly. I can see that somewhere inside, you still have a trace of a sensitive young human boy. It has only been trapped by what you were forced to become. I have decided to give you a second chance, Ciel Phantomhive. You're coming with me."

She picked up Ciel again and took flight. Ciel knew he had lost, and said nothing as he flew up into the red sky, and, still in the arms of the angel, was enveloped in a field of pure, white light.


	4. Chapter 4

Sebastian walked back to the manor slowly. "I have nothing now. I have no more purpose," he thought to himself.

As he approached the building, he felt eyes on him. "Clara, come out now."

Clara jumped out of her tree. She didn't appear surprised that Sebastian was able to detect her. She glared at him, her eyes flaming. "You've lost him."

Sebastian said nothing. He tried to walk past Clara, but she grabbed him tightly by the arm.

"You've lost our master. He's gone."

"Yes."

Clara burst into a fit of screams. "How could you do this to us? Master Ciel was our only reason left for existing and now you tell me you've just let him die? YOU IDIOT!" Clara clenched her fists and looked away. "What in devil's name are we going to do now?" She paused for a moment before grabbing hold of Sebastian's hand and tearing off his white glove. She stared at the smooth skin. "Where is your brand, Sebastian?" She asked. "It was right here, and now it's gone."

"Clara, that was a brand of my contract. That is now non-existent because my master no longer exists."

Clara gave a small snort. "Well, I suppose all is well for Sebastian Michaelis, isn't it? Now you're free to form contracts, and consume your fill of human souls once again! Hurrah for Sebastian!" She turned to walk away.

"All is not well for Sebastian Michaelis."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Clara, don't you understand? I spent years with Ciel Phantomhive, waiting on him hand and foot, all for the reward of his soul. I was and still am so obsessed with that soul, I can not tear myself away from it." He sat down on a stone bench next to the path and put his head in his hands.

"Sebastian, you are a demon. You do not discriminate between souls, so by god, why don't you pull yourself together?" Clara left for the manor fuming, leaving Sebastian alone.

"But I can't just pull myself together."

Sebastian felt strange. Throughout his entire existence as a demon, he had embraced it. From the moment his life as a human was over, he enjoyed every part of being a demon, from the super-human abilities to the consumption of souls. He enjoyed the apathy, the lack of conscience that came over him when he came to hell. But it was all slipping away now. Without Ciel's soul he had nothing. He would never again devour another soul, he would never again throw his knives, he would never again pet a kitten. "Demons don't fail," Sebastian whispered. "But I have." He felt something wet on his face. He touched his cheek with an ungloved hand and something red came away. "Tears," Sebastian said. "Demons don't cry."

* * *

**Okay, so I think I've figured out how to include notes from the author, so here's one. I hope you like the story so far! It's my first fanfic so I would greatly appreciate any constructive criticism! I'm a freshman in high school so I may not be able to update regularly because of all the work, but I'll do my best! Luv Ya! **


	5. Chapter 5

There was nothing but white. Ciel kneeled on nothing. White. In white clothing, a simple pullover shirt and linen trousers. All was silent. It was superbly serine. Except for one thing. There was the angel.

"What's your name?"

"My name, Ciel?

"Yes, your name. You never told me your name."

There was a pause as the Angel thought for a moment.

"I am not like Angela, you know. She fell. I have never nor will I ever lose my faith in what I am. Even angels have rules, Ciel. We're not to have names. To name oneself would result in our immediate banishment from our home. I have no name. I am simply an angel. And you belong to me, now."

Ciel just kept looking off into the distance that was the angel's eye. He didn't feel anything. "So we're in heaven then? You've brought me to heaven?"

The angel smiled and nodded her head softly. "Yes my dear, you are in heaven. Your soul has been purified, and our lord has redeemed you. You are now free to enjoy paradise."

Ciel's expression stayed blank and unmoving. "What is there here to enjoy? There's nothing here. I don't even feel anything. Not angry, not sorrowful, not happy. What could be here to enjoy? I'm not even a demon anymore. What am I?"

"Worry not, my dear. The feeling will pass. Heaven is whatever you make of it. And yes, you are no longer a demon. You're just a person. Now, think of what you want, and you will have it. Heaven can be almost anything you want it to be.

"Almost?"

The angel looked away quickly. "Oh, never mind. Now, why don't you conjure something up? It is a bit dull at the moment, don't you agree?"

Ciel nodded and conjured the first thing that came to his mind. Before him stood a tall man and a woman holding his hand, backs turned to Ciel.

"Where- what is this, Vincent?"

"Rachel, this looks familiar-"

Ciel gasped and the two released their partner's hand and whirled around, startled. They both stared for a moment, but realizing what was happening, smiles began to creep onto their lips. Ciel stared, utterly shocked his heart screaming, his thoughts going a mile a minute. Still, only twp words came out as he looked at the two beaming faces. "You're here."

Vincent took a step forward and laughed, tears beginning to well up in his chocolate brown eyes. The laugh shook the void, seeming to ring out forever.

Rachel's jaw had dropped, and covering her open mouth with both her hands, sank to her knees. "My Ciel." She whispered. A sniffle escaped her, and they remained like that for what seemed like eternity. Ciel felt a tear drip down his face. He wiped his face with the back of his hand, and brought the hand away, half expecting to see red. But it was clear.

"Mama! Papa!" Ciel cried out. He raced forward, charging into the arms of his long lost parents, sobbing and laughing uncontrollably. "I missed you so much! I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you! Please never leave me again!" Ciel choked out, feeling utterly safe, finally protected in the arms of his parents.

"We love you too Ciel, oh thank almighty god, he's given you back you us! Oh thank you, god," She sobbed.

"Yes, thank you, god." Said Vincent, looking completely and absolutely peaceful.

Ciel felt again. He could feel the joy of having been reunited with his parents. He felt the remnants of the agony that had been subconsciously weighing down on his shoulders every moment of his life after the death of his parents. But it was only the traces of the stress. A giant load was lifted off of him in that moment. He was free.

After hours of talking excitedly with his parents, Ciel realized something was still missing. Lizzie wasn't here. He missed her so much, despite the constant pestering, the pink, the bows, and the use of his servants as decorations; Ciel still longed to see his fiancé. She was practically his sister. And even though he had never wanted any sort of romance with her, he loved her with all his heart. Ciel closed his eyes, squeezed them so tight, lights danced behind his eyelids, willing Lizzie to appear in front of him. He waited for the sound of the pop, and the lovely squeal, and yet nothing came. Ciel opened his eyes and looked to the angel who had been standing in the distance, eyeing him and his family.

"Where's Lizzy?"

"Well whatever do you mean, precious Ciel?"

"I want Lizzie to come. Where is she?"

The angel sighed and gave a small smile of sympathy.

"Oh Ciel, you silly goose! Lizzie isn't here. Her time hasn't come yet. She is still alive on earth.

Of course, why hadn't Ciel thought of that? Ciel looked at his feet, disappointed.

"Tell you what? I'll grant you a brief visit to earth so that you can visit her. It will be my little favor to you, precious Ciel."

Ciel giggled in glee at the prospect. "Could you really do that?"

"Yes Ciel, of course. Take my hand and we shall go." She flew toward Ciel, reaching out her dainty hand. Immediately, Ciel took it, and the white envelope of light surrounded them once more.

* * *

Lizzie lay on soft pink sheets, on her pink painted bed in her pink painted room. Even she sometimes marveled at how long she obsession with the color had lasted. With her head propped up on a pillow, she held in her hands a photo album. As she looked through the pages, she sniffled at the sight of every black-and-white image of Ciel Phantomhive's face. Why had he left her? Why? She put the album down and curled up into a ball, trying in vain to squeeze the thought of him out of her head. She picked at her nightgown. What a terrible color. Black just simply didn't suit her at all! But still, she had made peace with it. The black was for Ciel. Lizzie slid off her queen-sized mattress and slowly walked to the other side of the pink room, open up the drawer of her vanity. Out of it, she took a ring set with silver and a blue stone; sapphire, perhaps? She slipped it onto her thumb, still too slender for the ring size. She brought the ring up to her lips and said a prayer for Ciel, hot tears still running down her flushed face. "Ciel, if you can hear me, please, I'm begging you to send me a sign!" She hiccupped, still praying hard. "I love you Ciel, oh why can't you just take me with you? I want to be with you forever, and without you, there's no purpose to my life! Mother and Father say so! Please Ciel, say something!" She breathed deeply, and sitting down on her bed once again, kissed the ring gently, as if not to bruise it, if such a thing were even possible. Then, it came. She heard a light pop. She slowly opened her eyes and nearly fell backwards off the edge of her bed at what met her eyes.

Standing there was Ciel Phantomhive. Dressed in his navy blue suit, black shorts and that adorable top hat. Something had changed about him, Elizabeth thought. He seemed to have some sort of strange new aura about him. He almost seemed to glow. Even better, he stood there, looking at Lizzy with something she had been longing to see for ages; a smile. A breath-taking, awe-inspiring, perfectly _cute_ smile. "Ciel?" She whispered. "Is it you?"

"Yes, it's me, Elizabeth. I've come to say hello."

She took in a sharp breath, staring, awe-struck; maybe even terrified. "You're dead, Ciel. It can't be you." She took a step away.

"Lizzie, it's me. Let me prove it to you." In an instant, Elizabeth was held in Ciel's warm embrace. She stood there, rigid for a moment, before letting out a huge breath and melting into his arms.

"Oh god, Ciel, I missed you so much!" She sobbed into his shoulder as he lovingly patted her back.

"I missed you too, Lizzie." He took her shoulders and turned her to face him. She stared into his beautiful deep blue eyes. The eyes she though had long since disintegrated.

"Lizzie, I wish we had more time, but I can't stay long. I've been allowed to come here to let you know the things you should have known long ago. I've kept things from you, Lizzie. And since the day of my funeral, I've regretted keeping the secret. I need to tell you now."

With that, Lizzie listened to Ciel pour his heart out. He told her about the contract with Sebastian, how he had promised his soul to the demon in exchange for revenge, how he had become a demon when it was found that his soul was inedible, and how he had been rescued from hell. With every word, Lizzie's eyes grew larger until anyone would expect the to pop clean out of her head.

Ciel looked so guilty. His happiness seemed to wash away in the realization that Lizzie knew what he was. He had been a criminal, a thief and a murderer. How could she love him knowing that she had been betrothed to a murderer? He drew away from Lizzie, probably expecting a fit. Lizzie retained her composure though, and took a deep breath.

"I still love you, Ciel. That will never change. If the good lord can forgive you for the things you've done, so can I."

Ciel beamed back at Lizzie and they shared a tight hug, and Lizzy kissed Ciel on the cheek. Ciel backed away, smiling sadly. "We're out of time, Lizzie. But I'll hear your prayers, and one day, I promise you that we'll see each other again." Ciel closed his eyes and the body that had been solid a moment ago was now fading into nothing right before Lizzie's eyes. When he was finally gone, Lizzie picked up the photo album.

"I'll see you again, Ciel. She climbed into her bed which seemed to be somehow warmer. She closed her green eyes and drifted off. That night, she dreamed of Ciel.

* * *

**So how is it? If anyone has any constructive criticism, PLEASE voice it! I would be incredibly grateful for any reviews! I'm really excited about where this story is going, so please keep reading! Thank you to all my viewers! Even though I haven't had many, I feel incredible every time I get a new comment, favorite or follower! I feel like I'm accomplishing something, so I encourage all of you to do just that! Thanks! :)**


	6. Chapter 6

Deep within the darkness, Sebastian brooded. The Phantomhive manor still stood tall and unthreatened. Hell should have been the same, with the delicious screams and delightful moans of punished souls. But to Sebastian, hell had long since lost its appeal. The demon butler stared at the wall in front of his seat. No purpose.

"Sebastian."

Sebastian glared up at Clara. "I am sorry Clara, but at the moment I really am in no mood to be listening to your nagging. Don't you have better things to do than to loom around this place?" Sebastian looked back to the wall.

Clara would normally have a retort, but didn't seem scathed by the question. She simply stared at the distraught demon with a hint of superiority. "Sebastian, I don't think you quite understand my situation. Earl Phantomhive rescued me from the fire. He took me into a comfortable home and gave me clothing to wear and the opportunity to taste food again. I am thankful and loyal to him for that."

Sebastian nearly snorted at such a human thought. "Clara, you never fail to amaze me. I have met quite a few materialistic souls in my time, but never have I met one as naive and greedy as you are. I cannot believe that you have literally been through hell and you've learned nothing but how to run from your punishment."

"Sebastian, you're a demon. You've never had to feel the true pain that the flames can bring a human soul. If you are left to rot outside like most are, the flames are always with us and most of us have no choice but to endure it. It isn't just the physical pain, you know. It's the pain that comes in knowing that one is really so terrible that they _deserve_ to come here and endure the flames."

Sebastian looked at Clara, his eyes now dark red and gleaming with contempt. "_You were never judged, Clara._" He exclaimed. "How do you know that you deserved this in the first place? God may have been merciful to you, but you chose your own fate by coming here without his word."

"_Ugh_, Sebastian, you know what my life was like! I sold my body to perverts! And it was _my fault._ I decided to do those things of my own free will and this is what I would have deserved. It's what I _do _deserve!"

Sebastian sighed in exasperation. "I am sorry, but I'm afraid I cannot engage in this conversation any longer. He rose up out of his leather chair and walked swiftly past Clara. As he opened and closed the door behind him, Clara stood as still as a statue. As she heard the click of the knob return to its stance, she began to pace.

"The damn bastard, that cowardly excuse for a demon, who the devil does he think he is?" Clara growled and paused in her pace, then turned on her heel and walked out the door.

Fire. Fire everywhere. Sebastian had nearly forgotten what the true nature of hell had been. He had been told it was different for everyone. Some saw ice; others saw barren deserts, and others; in this case Sebastian, saw and felt raging, white-hot fire. Still, Sebastian felt nothing. He didn't feel the searing pain fire should have inflicted on his skin. He had been used to the heat for centuries. Clara spoke of pain. Yet she didn't know the first thing about pain.

"Ciel, where are you, come out, damn it! Where are you?" Sebastian walked aimlessly through the blaze, feeling his suit burn away and his raven hair singe. Sebastian came to a halt as a dark figure came into view in the distance. Strangely enough, Sebastian couldn't get a sense of who it was. "Who are you?" He called out.

"You don't deserve the privilege to know who I am, Sebastian Michaelis." The voice rang out over the crackling of the fire; over the faint screams of forgotten condemned souls.

Despite his inner void, a smirk spread over the demon's face. "Are you sure? I believe we are on the same level, so I don't see why you would have any right to look down on me." He gestured to the blaze around him. The figure said nothing and slowly approached. As it came closer, Sebastian saw large, white wings come into focus. "Damn. I despise these wretched creatures."

"Hello, Sebastian." The Angel approached, coming into full view, her white hair reflecting flickers of yellow.

"Why have you come here? Respectfully, you have no business here."

The angel smiled. "Oh, actually I believe I have every reason for being here. Now, do you remember your lovely little demon?"

Sebastian raised an eyebrow in contempt. Had this vile being really just come here in an attempt to rub Sebastian's loss in his face? But still, why would this angel care for a lost demon? He took a sharp breath, forgetting that he needn't breathe. "Why?" He asked with knives piercing his tone. "My _lovely little demon _as you call him is gone." Sebastian couldn't believe the level he had sunk to. First, searching for what was known to be lost. Demons didn't dwell on the obliterated souls of their masters or any other demon. And now he realized that the statement had been more of a question. The angel knew something that Sebastian didn't and that drove him mad. Hell, he was practically _wheedling_ the angel already! This was _completely_ unacceptable.

The angel just continued smiling a smile that was radiant, yet undoubtedly holding sadism she obviously wasn't bothering to hold back. "But is he really gone, Sebastian? I can tell what you're thinking, you know. I know that you're wondering. Well, I am overjoyed to tell you the wonderful news, then! I as a matter of fact have saved the boy from his future with you. I believe he deserves better. He is with me now." At that moment, a figure emerged from behind the angel, revealing himself to be Ciel Phantomhive, dressed still in his white knee socks and black top hat. He stared expressionless, not uttering a sound to Sebastian or the angel. The angel appeared to be startled.

"What are you doing here, Ciel? I asked you to stay put while I was gone."

"Well sometimes-" He said in a near whisper- "I lie."


End file.
